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Sunday, September 6, 2015

After having had such great success with my two traditionally published books, My Sister Is My Best Friend, and My Brother Is My Best FriendI decided to make major revisions to my self-published title, Marie andHer Friend the Sea Turtle. Today, I am proud to announce that the newly revised version is available on Amazon in both Ebook, and print versions!

“Marie
and Her Friend the Sea Turtle Second Edition: A Trilingual story in English,
French, and Spanish is the second edition of previously published“Marie and her Friend
the Sea Turtle: Maria y su amiga la Tortuga del mar/Marie et son amie la Tortue
de mer.”

The
Second Edition of “Marie and Her Friend the Sea Turtle”includes substantiallyrevised illustrations. This new
edition offers conservation links for educators and kids. Included are also a
French and Spanish glossary, and sentence match activity.

“Marie
and Her Friend the Sea Turtle” creates the perfect opportunity to introduce a
new language to your child while teaching children the importance of treating
animals with respect and compassion.

Children
will be exposed to different cultures and discover even if we live in different
parts of the world, compassion never goes out of style.

This story is about the love
that develops between a little girl named Marie and a stranded sea turtle. The
story tells the struggles Marie has as she helps the sea turtle back out to
sea.

Marie is a little girl whose house is built near the bluest of
oceans. Every morning, Marie likes to visit the shore to collect seashells.
When she sees a large shiny object in the distance, she thinks she's found the
biggest seashell she's ever seen. But it's not a seashell, it's a sea turtle.
When she learns the turtle is stuck and cannot make its way back to sea, Marie
must find a way to help her new friend get back to its home.

The book takes an unexpected twist as Marie realizes if her
parents find the turtle, they'll cut it up in pieces and make stew. When
Marie's parents arrive on the beach, how will she convince them to carry the
sea turtle back to the ocean instead of enjoying a fine stew? I found this part
of the story shocking, since I don't consider turtle standard fare, but it's
also what stands out to me most about this book--Perhaps a different take than
others you might read. To me, the story is not only an introduction to caring
for nature, but also an introduction to different cultures.

Written
in English, Spanish and French, the book can be used to create discussions
about what different cultures eat, and all the unusual delicacies available
around the world. It shows that food is a big part of our culture and our
world. So remember the next time you throw your nose up at the thought of
turtle stew, others might be saying, "Scrumptious!"

Dixie Phillips

Children's
author

Nicole Weaver's new children's book Marie and Her Friend the Sea
Turtle promises not to disappoint the little ones in your life. The exciting
adventure begins with a sparkling ocean and a little girl Marie hunting for
seashells. She spots something shining in the distance.(This is the part in the
book where boys and girls plagued with wiggle wormitis will sit at rapt
attention when they discover what the mysterious item is. Could it be the most
beautiful seashell ever?) Marie runs over to the shiny item and discovers it is
a stranded sea turtle. (I can just hear children oooohing and ahhhhing at this
point.) The sea turtle needs to be put back into the ocean, but Marie isn't
quite strong enough to help him back into his familiar waters. Maria's parents
think the sea turtle would make a nice stew, but Maria convinces them to help
save the sea turtle.

There are some important lessons I think children and their
parents will learn after reading this book.

1. The importance of families listening with their hearts and not
just their heads.

2. Children will hone their critical thinking skills. While her
parents and Marie had differing opinions of what should be done with the sea
turtle, they worked together and came up with a satisfying solution. Children
will learn how cooperation makes a person become part of the solution rather
than part of the problem.

3. Children will also learn the art of compassion for God's
creatures. Marie exemplifies this lost art and will give parents opportunities
to discuss treating animals with respect.

4. Children will be exposed to different cultures and discover
even if we live in different parts of the world, compassion never goes out of
style.

If you have a hesitant little reader in your home, Marie and Her
Friend the Sea Turtle would whet their reading appetite and give them a love
for learning more about sea turtles.

What makes Nicole Weaver's story even more captivating are Ruben
Chavez's amazing illustrations. Marie's merciful heart shines through each
page.